


Cold Water

by Kutiekiller910



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Harry Has Issues, Harry is a Little Shit, Other, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28663206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kutiekiller910/pseuds/Kutiekiller910
Summary: A little excerpt from a WIP.~~~AJ is the person chosen for Harry to rescue from the Black Lake, unfortunately, binding and being submerged deep underwater for long periods of time do not mix well. McGonagall is pissed that her child was put in harm's way, and Harry doesn't know what to do about any sort of emotion.~~~Aka a short self insert
Relationships: Original Non-Binary Character/Harry Potter
Kudos: 7





	Cold Water

“Get them out of the water” 

“- be freezing.” 

“-Harry” 

“He’s still down there-” 

“-they okay?” 

Loud clapping, rumbling cheers, voices switching in and out like an out-of-range stereo. My chest felt tight, my lungs felt cold. Like every breath I took was ice. Suddenly I was no longer floating, but on something hard, damp, and unwelcoming. 

I hurt. 

“Are they-” 

“Help-” 

“-get McGonagall!” 

Shadows faded in and out of my vision, some would start small, grow big and then disappear. My brain slowly came to process the information that my body was heaving excessively in attempts to take in air, my chest and shoulders ached and bruised under layers of robes and heavy bindings. 

“They’re going to be- right Mione?” 

Desperate. 

That’s how my foggy mind chose to interpret the voice. The way the voice had stuttered might be from the absolute frigidity of the air but my brain knew something the rest of me didn’t. How does a brain keep a secret from itself? It probably occurred from a lack of oxygen, or maybe hypothermia? 

So cold. 

Loudness encompassed everything for a few moments, a loud thump sent aftershocks all the way to me. More thumps, smaller, getting bigger, followed by worried voices. 

“Help them.” 

“-away Potter” 

I knew that name. My body heaved, brain fog thickening. Whoever they were, they were warm, they were safe. All I wished was to be safe, being warm would be a nice added bonus as well. 

I could feel myself stop breathing, I wish I could tell you it was peaceful, but Merlin I would be lying. My throat stung, closing in on itself, my chest was collapsing, ribs caving into the sensitive tissue of my heart. I can’t remember if I screamed, I was screaming in my head at the very least, I tried my damn hardest to survive. I tried to claw at the too tight bindings on my chest but someone held my hands down. 

“Granger help me remo-” 

“Yes Professor-” 

“-more towels- so you are aware of-” 

I was on something dry, something soft. 

“Yes, they told- the boys must be- Harry especially-” 

Suddenly I could breathe again, and the fog was slowly seeping out the corners of my mind. I was gasping and panting like a rabid dog but I had two pairs of hands already helping calm me down. 

“Miss Granger would you mind letting both the Headmaster and your remaining friends know that Andrew is breathing, and will be just fine?” 

Hermione ran a comforting hand through AJ’s soaked hair, “Of course Professor, I’ll have Ron grab more towels while I’m up, maybe they have extra robes.” 

The older woman just nodded and turned back to me, I just smiled up at her, “Hey Mum.” 

She sighed and took one of my hands in hers while stroking my hair, “I told Albus it wasn’t safe to put you down there. That man has no regard for any child’s safety.” 

“Mum, I promise I’m fine,” though I felt anything but. 

“That is a lie, and I will not stand for it Andrew James. If you hadn’t almost just died I-” but mum never finished her words, choking on the last words. 

I let her just hold my hand, letting myself process the bit of information for a moment as well, still mostly unaware of what had occurred. I had bits and pieces but nothing quite added up to how I got here. I remember Dumbledore and Hermione. The big eagle statue turning, and that overly dramatic headmaster’s office. I remember lips moving and words of “Triwizard tournament... Harry... Krum...Cedric...Fleur...Merpeople...”. 

Realization hit, “Mum don’t tell me Dumbledore actually put kids down in the lake?” 

Her gaze hardened, “Andrew, you were one of those children.” 

I just rolled my eyes, “You’re being overdramatic Mum I’m fine now and everything will be okay. I should have never gone to that lunatic’s office.” 

My mum just nodded, running spindly fingers through my slowly drying hair. Hermione came speed walking back to us, and started acting like a mother hen. 

As Mione placed what I swore was a fourth towel around me, my mum spoke up once more, “I’m going to have a nice chat with Dumbledore. Pretty sure he stole Harry away as well,” she gave me a knowing look, “I’ll send him down momentarily.” 

I snuggled into my towel cocoon, warm at last. 

“Bloody hell AJ, I thought for sure you were dead, honestly Harry too,” My lungs felt like ice once more and Ron received a sharp elbow to the ribs. 

“What do mean Ron?” 

Ron glanced at Hermione and she just huffed, allowing him to continue, “Well you came out of the water you know and well like everyone else you were cold and all but-” 

“Not me, what about Harry? Ron, what happened?” I felt my heart in my throat. 

The redhead gave me the look for a second, the same one he would give Mione when she explained the history of charms, but slowly his face softened and he turned to Mione with the biggest puppy dog smile ever. I swear if that boy had a tail it would have been wagging a mile a minute. What he was so pleased about I couldn’t be sure. 

“I figured it out Mione.” 

The curly haired girl had watched the whole exchange and already and a smug smirk on her face, “I told you you’d have to find out for yourself, glad you finally caught on Ronald.” 

“Caught on to what exactly?” A familiar voice asked from behind the two conspirers. 

I felt like all the aching in my muscles suddenly vanished and was replaced with warmth, “Harry.” 

As if my voice was a magnet, his eyes met mine. For a moment I considered how I looked. All my glamours had been completely thrown to the wind, my bindings had literally been cut off to save my life. I was soaked to my very core, and had quite literally almost died. I considered all this for a moment and came to a solid realization. The boy in front of me had escaped death more times than I could count and I still thought he was the most perfect person ever to roam this planet. Mulling through this as quickly as I could I came to the realization that if he cared for me the way I cared about him, it wouldn’t matter if I looked like the mountain troll from first year. 

While I had been in my head, Harry had made his way across the room, and was standing right next to my cot, “You okay AJ? You looked a little lost there for a second.” 

I nodded numbly, shaking myself before looking into his eyes, “I’m okay, just recovering. I only really came to a coupl'a minutes ago.” 

While I tried my best to smile up at Harry while laying down in a cot, his eyes seemed to almost glaze over and his hand brushed wet hair away from my neck. The tips of his fingers gently traced the edges of my soul mark, running over the jagged lines of antlers. 

With a loud clearing of her throat Mione jumped Harry out of his trance and both of us looked at her, “Me and Ron’ll be going now. I suspect McGonagall will be a while. Harry, why don’t you stay with AJ until the professor gets back?” 

Harry’s face noticeably became red and dear Godric I hoped I was not imagining it. My entire being wanted nothing more than for him to continue to draw jagged lines along my shoulder. Instead, Hermione and Ron made their way out of the room, and Harry awkwardly perched himself on the edge of my cot, avoiding all contact. 

I was cuddled under at least five towels now that I had actually counted them, my rids ached in a dull medicated sort of way, and the only skin exposed besides my face was the barest bit of my shoulder. My mother must have gone to get me new robes, the charms her and Mione used must have ripped the robes and bindings magically, damaging them beyond repair. It hit me in that moment that beneath the towel I was pretty much completely exposed. My robes were torn, my chest was unbound, and all my soulmates scars were up for show. I flushed at how intimate this situation could have been had I not been in so much pain. 

Harry shifted on the cot, still obviously tense in his shoulders, opening his mouth, then closing it again. His brow furrowed. It was almost funny to see him try so hard to work words out of his mouth, but deep inside I almost wish it were easy for him to talk to me. 

Instead of showing him of course I asked him, “Are you alright?” 

Harry’s head snapped up, “Me?” he sounded almost offended, “You’re asking if I'm alright? Have you seen yourself AJ?” 

I knew what he meant, but I couldn’t help but scoff sarcastically, “Why thank you, how very kind of you. Commenting on someone’s appearance in such a way Harry, how rude of you.” 

He had relaxed considerably, now actually sitting on the cot, hip actually touching mine through the towels as he leaned toward me. He looked like he was about to laugh, until I tried to cross my arms in faux anger and visibly winced. Then his face hardened again. 

“Andrew you, you almost-” 

“Died, I know, everyone keeps telling me.” 

Harry’s face was contorting and it wasn’t pretty, “AJ I can’t lose anyone else; do you understand that?” 

I just nodded the best I could, while lying on the cot, “Yes, I understand Harry. I don’t particularly understand what I was supposed to do about it?” 

“Agh!” Harry let out a frustrated shout as he stood up promptly from the cot. 

“Harry, tell me what you possibly would have had me do?” 

“I don’t know! I don’t know okay!” He whirled around to walk away from me. 

“Don’t walk away from this Harry,” he continued to walk toward the door, “Please.” 

He paused, “I can't’ do this, not today,” and walked out of the infirmary.


End file.
